The Internet has come alive with the dark secret Lady McBeth— I mean Casey Caponigro DeSantis— has tried to keep hidden. Descended from Siciliano immigrants, the notoriously paranoid and vindictive Mrs. Ron Dion DeSantis comes from a Lucchese Crime family, niece of the murderous Antonio Rocco Caponigro, AKA Tony Bananas, her mother’s brother. He got his name because his dad was a rich banana merchant at the South 9th Street Curb Market. Signor Bananas (the son) was the consigliere of Philly mob boss Angelo Bruno, who he had murdered over the meth business. He hired his brother-in-law, Alfred Salerno, to assassinate Bruno. After the unauthorized hit Bananas and Salerono with both found dead, battered and nude in the trunk of a car in the Bronx. Casey, whose nickname in Florida politics is the Scorekeeper, is a vicious monster who everyone in Florida GOP politics detests— and is scared of. She’s the brains of the operation and plays the dominant role in the political dynamic between herself and DeSantis.
DeSantis isn’t known to have any mob affiliations— other than being married to a Mafia princess— but the problem with him is his unabated fascist tendencies, something that has also been noticed— and remarked on uncomfortably— by Florida Republicans. Rep. Greg Steube, was on Trumpanzee Jr’s podcast a couple days ago explaining what a dick DeSantis is, threatening to have any Florida members of Congress who endorses Trump primaried. He’s going to be busy. So far just one member has endorsed him— a lady who used toward for him (Laurel Lee)— and 12 have already endorsed Trump: Steube plus Matt Gaetz, Ana Paulina Luna, Vern Buchanan, Brian Mast, Gus Bilirakis, Michael Waltz, Byron Donalds, John Rutherford, Carlos Giménez, Daniel Webster and Cory Mills.
Steube, who represents Florida's 17th Congressional District, relitigated his apparent feelings of contempt for Florida's governor on Monday on Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast, Triggered With Don Jr. The congressman, who previously endorsed Trump for president, said in April that DeSantis never responded to Steube's attempts to discuss political issues.
Adding to that on Trump Jr.'s podcast, Steube said he was excluded from briefings and press conferences with DeSantis whenever they were in his district.
"When he would come into town, they would exclude me from briefings," Steube said. "Hurricanes bearing down on my district, and they wouldn't even allow me to be a part of a press conference in my own district."
Adding to his list of grievances against DeSantis on the podcast, the congressman from Florida said he was miffed because DeSantis threatened to primary members of Congress who didn't endorse him.
"That is not how leaders operate," Steube said. "You don't operate by fear."
A few weeks ago, the 2,500 delegates to the state Republican organizing convention greeted DeSantis like a hero when he showed up to give the keynote address. Writing for the Salt Lake Tribune, Prof. Tom Huckin decided to get to the bottom of the DeSantis-fascist question. “[W]hat is fascism, exactly? And is Ron DeSantis a practitioner?” He asked and decided to turn to Umberto Eco, the great Italian philosopher and novelist (The Name of the Rose). Born in 1932, Eco experienced Mussolini’s fascism first-hand. In his later years, he wrote about this and listed 14 characteristics of fascism. In what follows, I indicate ways they do or don’t apply to DeSantis.”
First, fascism is “a cult of tradition.” DeSantis’ traditionalist, anti-“woke” policies are a good example.
Second, Eco considered it “an irrational rejection of modernism.” DeSantis’s vow in Orem to “kneecap” environmental, social and governing investing strategies exemplifies this.
A third characteristic is “action for action’s sake” and “distrust of the intellectual world.” Examples include DeSantis’ continuing attacks on Florida’s colleges and universities and their open-minded searches for truth— which he simplistically demeans as “wokism.”
Fourth is a rejection of the critical spirit, replaced by the notion that “disagreement is treason.” This accords with the previous point.
A fifth characteristic is fear of diversity. As Eco puts it, “Fascism is racist by definition.” DeSantis is notorious for his attacks on the teaching of Black history, Indigenous history, slavery, or anything else that deviates from the traditional white-oriented curriculum.
Sixth is fascism’s appeal to frustrated middle and lower-middle classes. In our hypercapitalistic nation, money flows upward to the wealthier classes, creating resentment among everyone else. DeSantis’ political rhetoric takes full advantage.
A seventh characteristic is ultranationalism and obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. DeSantis has promoted laws that would criminalize and incarcerate not only undocumented immigrants but any citizen who helps them.
Eighth is a feeling of humiliation due to the wealth and power of their enemies. Not applicable in DeSantis’ case.
Next is the fascist belief that “life is permanent warfare.” The current culture war embraced by DeSantis and his followers is a good example, as was DeSantis’ crusade against Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Tenth is a populist form of elitism that includes contempt for the weak. DeSantis is known for such cruelty, going back to when he was a Navy officer at Guantanamo sitting in on— and, according to one victim, enjoying— torture sessions.
Eleventh: the myth of the hero. Fascism always has a strong leader who considers himself superior to everyone else. DeSantis’ attacks on Disney World and the CDC are good illustrations.
Twelfth is the “fetishizing of machismo” and “disdain for women and homosexuals,” enhanced by what Eco calls “the worship of guns as phallic symbols.” DeSantis projects a kind of machismo in his public image, including disdain for women in a harsh new abortion law and disdain for gays in his book bans. As for guns, he recently signed into law the right of all Florida citizens to carry a concealed gun anywhere— without a permit.
A thirteenth characteristic of fascism is “TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People.” DeSantis is a frequent guest on Fox News, Newsmax, and other right-wing platforms, which promote him in every way.
Finally, fascism uses “an impoverished vocabulary and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning.” Though he’s well-educated, DeSantis uses simplified speech in public, and simplistic reasoning.
In sum, what we are witnessing in today’s polarized politics does indeed include fascism, embodied and promoted by DeSantis and others on the far right. Those student protesters at UVU had it right.